An early morning fire in a northeast Atlanta residence was met with an unlikely hero: a family rabbit named Coco. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the house fire occurred shortly after 5 a.m., where the homeowner credits Coco for alerting them through persistent jumping in its cage, effectively saving the three occupants from potential harm as the fire started at the back of the house, significantly damaging the deck.
In a similar account reported by WSB-TV, the Dekalb County family's patriarch, Erlene Rivera, spoke on the sensation of awakening to Coco's thumping and the blare of smoke detectors, saying, "He knew something was happening and he started jumping and jumping," and with no injuries announced the homeowner and her family, which includes her sister and 92-year-old mother, were able to evacuate the premises with Christmas gifts in hand, credited to the rabbit's timely warning. The home on Woodacres Road NE had gathered family just one day before the incident for Thanksgiving, Rivera said, adding the depth of connection to the place and the moment.
Atlanta Fire Rescue is engaged in an ongoing investigation to pinpoint the precise origin of the conflagration, while preliminary assessments by Dekalb Fire personnel point to its commencement on the family's back porch, according to Rivera during an interview with WSB-TV, it's speculated that a warming fire from the previous night, thought to be extinguished, may not have been completely put out.
Battalion Chief Keven Cavanaugh of Dekalb County elaborated on the incident, recounting to WSB-TV that "It appears they had a warming fire in the evening and had thought they had fully extinguished it on a wooden deck in a metal barrel," revealing a possible oversight that led to the significant damage sustained by the rear of the home and the kitchen. Coco's tenure with the Rivera family began serendipitously, discovered as a baby rabbit during the home's renovation and later assimilating into the fold as their pet and, as current events have unfolded, their savior in a time of crisis.
